Basement Level 5: Never Scared Read online

  Alexa Martinez was raised to believe that murder, deceit, and lies were a part of life. A trained killer, she follows in her father’s footsteps, specializing in political assassinations for Martinez Security—contracted through the CIA. She thrives on the power, money, respect, and—most of all—the adrenaline rush.

  Despite the danger associated with her profession, Alexa strives to give her children a normal life. But when her past catches up with her, they become pawns in a deadly game of revenge. Operating from a secret base, five levels below ground, Alexa struggles to unravel the puzzle, uncovering secrets that will alter their lives forever. Now she must make a choice—is she willing to die to give her children a life outside the bullet-proof glass?

  Kudos for Basement Level 5: Never Scared

  Basement Level 5: Never Scared by L. R. Wright is a suspense/thriller and that really isn’t my kind of genre. I am more of a romance genre—leaning toward the erotic—type of gal. But that’s not to say, I didn’t enjoy the book because I did. The book has some hot sex scenes, lots of action, and a kick-ass heroine. The characters were three dimensional and the plot strong...Although I hadn’t really expected to, I quite enjoyed Basement Level 5: Never Scared. It is obviously the first effort of a new author who seems a bit unsure of herself. Even so, the writing is quite good, the plot strong, and the characters interesting. – Taylor, reviewer

  The storyline was unique and refreshing and took some courage to write. I mean, come on—a heroine who is also an assassin? Maybe if you’re a best-selling author like Tom Clancy, you might try something like this. But for a new author? You’ve got to admit, that takes some balls. Naturally, the hardest part of writing such a story, or so it would seem to me, would be to make the heroine likeable enough that the reader could identify with her...I liked the fact that Alexa is human. She makes mistakes in her work, as well as in her private life, which made her all the more believable to me. The story starts out strong without a lot of past history at the beginning, which I really liked. And the plot has enough twists and turns to make it interesting all the way through. All in all, I thought it was a very enjoyable read. – Regan, reviewer

  Basement Level 5: Never Scared

  L. R. Wright

  A BLACK OPAL BOOKS PUBLICATION

  Copyright 2012 by L. R. Wright All Right Reserved

  Cover Art by Cover Design by Jay Sabo

  Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-937329-40-2

  Excerpt

  Whoever was trying to kill her didn’t know her very well, or they’d have sent enough men to do the job...

  As Alexa neared the street, a shadowy figure turned into the alley. She froze. The sun had already gone down, so she wasn’t sure if he’d noticed her. Cautiously, she slipped behind a trashcan and leaned against the wall of the store.

  “Did you see her?” a male voice asked.

  “No, I didn’t,” responded another man. “I checked the whole store. She’s nowhere in sight.”

  “How did she slip past us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She closed her eyes and wondered how she was going to get out of this. Grabbing an empty pop bottle, she pitched it behind her. Footsteps raced toward the sound. Once they were passed her, she bolted for the street as fast as she could go. It seemed too easy, but she went with it—until she ran right into a third man, who grabbed and hauled her off her feet. She struggled, kicking and punching him. Finally, he lost his grip and dropped her.

  She immediately socked him in the balls. It stunned him, but not enough to disable him. He grabbed her hair as she slammed him in the knee with her good foot. His leg buckled, but his grip remained steady. She grabbed another stray bottle and bashed him in the face. Releasing her, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

  Another man advanced toward her and she kicked him in the chest. Yanking her knife from its hiding place, she thrust it into his neck. As a third man charged her, she pulled the knife out and plunged it into that man’s leg.

  A groan pulled her attention back to the first man, who was struggling to his feet. She slapped him across the cheek with the butt of her gun. He slumped back to the ground.

  She leaned down and peered at his face. “Who the hell sent you?”

  DEDICATION

  To my Friends and Family, I dedicate this to you and thank you for your unwavering support. I appreciate your time, your prayers, and your positive thoughts from the beginning—after I had the “dream.”

  To Jason, thank you for loving me and inspiring me to reach for the stars. Thank you for believing in me.

  To “the boss,” my muse, you’ve inspired me in more ways than you can imagine!

  CHAPTER 1

  November 3, 2011:

  The raging storm increased in intensity as the hours crawled slowly by. Violent gusts of wind howled and rocked the huge mansion. Flashes of lightning filtered through the closed blinds, followed closely by loud, crashing thunder. Tree branches scratched against the roof as the pounding rain battered the house.

  Alexa had just started to relax when she heard a distinctly different sound outside. Gunshot? She bolted upright on the sofa and listened intently.

  Standing up, she walked to the window to investigate. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. She started for the door then hesitated. Another knock sounded a few minutes later. Slowly continuing to the door, she peered through the peephole. A stranger stood outside. Alexa hesitated before opening the door. A cold chill ran up her spine.

  The man smiled at her. “Are you Alexa Martinez?”

  She nodded.

  He held up a wallet sporting a gold badge. “I need to speak with you.”

  She frowned. “What about?” What could be so important to bring the man to her house in the middle of a severe storm? He looked like a cop, but she couldn’t be sure.

  A flash of irritation swept across his face, but disappeared quickly. “Can I come in? We have some questions for you.”

  Her grip on the doorknob tightened, turning her knuckles white. “I’m sure my lawyer would like to be present for any questions you have for me. Come back tomorrow morning and I’ll make sure he’s here.” She looked behind him to see if he was alone but couldn’t see anyone else.

  She tried to push the door closed, but he stopped it with the toe of his boot. “Mrs. Martinez, this is official business. You need to open the door.”

  Without warning, she kicked him in the shin. When he jerked his foot back, she shoved the door closed with her hip and slammed the deadbolt. He pounded on the door, yelling at her to open it. She fled to the back of the house and rushed into her daughter Kyleigh’s bedroom.

  “Come on, Ky,” she whispered, shaking her shoulder. “Let’s go. We have to get out of here.”

  The sound of something heavy ramming against the front door caused the nine-year-old to jump. Alexa’s four-year-old son, Alex, raced into the room. “What’s going on, Mommy? Somebody hit the door.”

  Alexa pressed her finger to her lips. The children nodded and followed her into the long hallway. She darted over to a family picture hanging on the wall and shoved it aside. When she pushed a button, a panel in the wall opened, revealing a secret door and a hidden set of stairs.

  The children held tightly on to her arms. “Mama, I don’t want to go down there. It’s too dark,” Ky whispered.

  Alexa bent down to eye level with the children. “Babies, you need to go downstairs. I am right behind you.”

  They all jumped at the sound of glass breaking and wood cracking. She gently nudged the children towards the stairs. Grabbing for her cell phone, she found her pocket empty. Shit! She urged them down the stairs. “Go now! R
apidamente!”

  The children hurried down the stairway like they were told. Waiting until they were halfway down, Alexa raced back to the couch.

  The stranger, along with a few more men, barged into the living room, taking the front door off its hinges as they pushed their way inside. They spotted her and shouted. She grabbed her cell phone, dashed into the hallway, and scanned the dark staircase. Alex was still there, but no Ky.

  “Ky,” she shouted. “Come now!”

  Ky ran from her bedroom, with a little pink bag in her hand just as the men rounded the corner. Fear ran through Alexa’s veins as one of the men tried to grab her daughter. Ky was quick, though, and jumped into the stairwell...

  ***

  Alexa woke from the nightmare with sweat running down her face. She patted her front pants pocket for her cell phone and found it there, snug and safe. Both children were asleep, tired and worn out from playing all day.

  Running a hand through her long hair, she sighed. The TV was still turned to her favorite soap opera. She glanced around the room, making sure the house was calm. The only sound was coming from the TV and the wind howling outside. She pressed the power button on the remote, pitching the room into silence and darkness, then wandered to the window to check outside. That was strange. Where is the guard normally assigned to the front of the house?

  The storm had gotten worse since she dozed off, hurtling leaves and branches across the yard. Her eyes searched for the guard, but the weather prevented her from seeing anything clearly. She leaned her forehead against the window, closed her eyes, and sighed. Calm down, Alexa. He’s probably checking the grounds. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a sudden flash of light in the yard.

  She stood there for a minute and waited for the security guard to appear. There was no sign of him. Worried, she peered out into the darkness, hoping to see where the light was coming from. A figure, all in black, raced past the window. It wasn’t her guard.

  Oh Hell! She dropped the blinds and jumped into action, charging to the front door to make sure the deadbolt was locked. It was. The house was dark, but she was knew every inch of it and was able to move quickly. Running to the side door, she secured the bolt on that one as well. That was when she heard the first knock.

  Leaving all the lights out, she woke both children and urged them not to make a sound. As they followed her into the long hallway, shouting erupted from outside the house.

  Turning to Ky, Alexa struggled to keep her voice calm. “Ky, this is serious. Someone is trying to get in the house. I need you to look out for your little brother.”

  Her heart broke at the look of terror on the young girl’s face. “It’s okay, baby.” She squeezed Ky’s hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Ky grabbed Alex’s hand. Alexa turned to her son. “Baby, I need you to listen to me. Don’t let go of your sister’s hand. You hear me?” He nodded.

  With a surreal sense of déjà vu, Alexa shoved the family picture aside, uncovering a padlock. She punched in a secret code and opened the hidden panel, revealing a small elevator.

  The sound of wood and glass breaking echoed through the house.

  Sara, the nanny, was upstairs in the attic, studying for her exams. Alexa had to get to her, but first she needed to get to Nicholas in the basement. She pushed B on the elevator wall. The doors closed, trapping them inside.

  As they descended to the basement, she thought about Chase. Where is he? He should have been here by now. Once the door opened, she nudged the children out. “Nicholas!” she shouted, heading toward the security room.

  Asleep at his computer, Nicholas jerked awake. “What’s going on?”

  She rolled her eyes. He was supposed to be monitoring the grounds. She eyed the security cameras, noticed at least four men coming into the house, and sighed. “There are strangers in the house. We need to get out of here. Chase should’ve been here by now. I don’t know why he isn’t, but we need to warn him. I don’t want him to get ambushed.”

  Nicholas glanced at the children. “We’ll call him,” he said softly as he grabbed a cell phone. “What about Sara?”

  “We have to get her.”

  “Did you take the stairs down here?” he asked.

  “I didn’t want to take the chance. I was closer to the elevator, so I took that.”

  “Okay, let’s go up in the elevator.” He grabbed his gun off of the desk and placed it in his back holster.

  Thunder roared in the sky. The kids jumped. Alexa bent down to their level. “It’s going to be okay! Come on.”

  She hated that her children had to go through this, but she knew Ky was a strong, capable girl. She would protect Alex to the death if she had to, and Alex would protect her as much as he could.

  They all raced back to the elevator and rushed inside, pressing the A button. Nicholas dialed his phone then shook his head. Apparently Chase wasn’t answering.

  Sara was lying across her bed with her iPod on. She jolted when Nicholas touched her arm. “Oh my God! You scared me.” She scanned the faces of the group. “What’s wrong?”

  “Intruders,” Alexa whispered. She was afraid she wouldn’t be heard above the rumble of the thunder, but she didn’t dare speak any louder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nicholas with the phone to his ear again. “We won’t be able to get out of the house,” she continued. “We have to go to B5.”

  Sara’s eyes widened, but she grabbed her backpack and followed Alexa and Nicholas to where the children waited, huddled by the door.

  Nicholas yanked out a silver key, hurried to an old curtain on the far side of the wall, and unlocked the door hidden behind it. “We have to take the back stairs,” he said softly, then glancing at Alexa, he added, “I still haven’t been able to reach Chase.”

  Alexa closed her eyes. The last thing she needed was to be worried about Chase. He would walk right into the trap if they couldn’t get in touch with him. The sudden ringing of her phone pierced the silence. She yanked it out of her pocket. “Hello.”

  “Alexa?” Chase demanded.

  “Chase? Thank God! Where are you?”

  “I’m on my way,” he replied, but the static made him hard to hear. “I saw that Nicholas had called me. Is everything okay?”

  “No. We have uninvited guests and they’re not friendly. I didn’t see much but there are at least four of them. There may be more. I don’t know. They’re all over the house, though. We’re up in the attic and heading down to B5.”

  Chase cursed. “Hurry down there. I’ll be there in a few. Don’t worry. I’ll make all the necessary calls.”

  She hung up the phone, setting it on vibrate only. “Let’s go.”

  “Is he going to call?” Nicholas asked.

  “Yes. We need to hurry.”

  He opened the door. The walls of the staircase behind it were still unfinished, the steps uncarpeted. Once they were all on the landing, he pulled the curtain closed, shut the door behind him, and locked it with the key.

  “Don’t touch anything,” Alexa told the children. “And stay close. Ky, remember to hold Alex’s hand.”

  They scrambled down the staircase as fast as the children could go. Sara held on to Ky’s hand while Nicholas brought up the rear. As they made their way down several flights of stairs, shouts could be heard in other parts of the house. Apparently, the men wouldn’t stop until they had searched every inch of it.

  CHAPTER 2

  Alejandro was speeding down Interstate 81 when the phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID before answering. “What?”

  “Dro, it’s me,” Chase answered.

  “I know. What’s up?”

  Chase took a deep breath. “There’s a problem at the house.”

  Dro nearly dropped the phone. “What kind of problem?”

  “Alexa called. She has unwanted guests. She doesn’t know the exact number, but she thinks at least four men.”

  “Shit.” Dro slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Is Nicholas there?” />
  “Yes, he’s with them. I’m headed there now. I’ll go down through the garage. We need to contact everyone.” Chase sighed heavily. “There’s no way anyone should have known the safe house’s location, let alone get close enough to break in.”

  Dro looked at his sister, Ariana, sitting in the passenger seat. Then he glanced at his twelve-year-old niece, Alana, in the backseat. “I have Ari and Alana with me. Call Kendrick and I’ll call Lei. Get there now and make sure no one sees you.”

  “I’m right around the corner. Hurry.”

  ***

  Kendrick yanked his ringing phone out of his pocket. It was his brother, Chase. “What?” His frantic wife and children were screaming, making it hard for him to hear.

  “Kendrick, what’s going on? Is that gunfire?”

  “We have a problem—unwanted guests with big guns. I’m trying to get Kara and the kids out of here.” He paused to shoot at their attackers. “Shit! Come on, Kara, grab the kids and let’s go.” He put the phone back to his ear. “We’re headed out to the garage. I hit one of them, but there are more. Where are you?”

  “I’m on my way to the safe—”

  “Kara, try to calm the kids down,” Kendrick shouted. “I can’t hear.”

  “I’m headed to the safe house,” Chase continued. “Alexa has her own share of these bastards. They are headed to B5. Come quickly. Dro will meet you there.”

  “Okay,” Kendrick yelled as he unloaded a few more rounds. He didn’t bother hanging up as he started the engine of his Lincoln Navigator and backed out of the driveway.